Confounded Dwelling

The eye, dark:as a hut window. It gathers. . . the constellation which theyhumankind, need for dwelling, here,among humankind—Paul Celan, “Hut Window”As Theodor W. Adorno once said of Franz Kafka, so we may say of W. G. Sebald: what baffles and eludes us in his work may one day provide the key to the whole.1 Sebald’s rise to international acclaim was meteoric, the critical consensus of his accomplishment swift; yet, despite this and despite the proliferation of a vast secondary literature—the “Sebald industrial complex,” as one critic quipped2—much of his writing retains an intriguing and incommensurable aspect. To state this is not to petition for scholarly attention to neglected works or hitherto underinvestigated aspects of his Nachlass; even a book like Austerlitz (2001), arguably the most celebrated and remarked on of Sebald’s “prose fiction,” still contains much to confound us.3On the face of it, though, Austerlitz is the most legible of Sebald’s writings and provides the most sustained confrontation with his driving concerns. Inevitably what “must strike every reader,” as Carol Jacobs puts it, is the spectacle of “a postwar German author addressing the Holocaust” with an “ethics of melancholy outrage.”4 Though the éclat of such a claim may be lost to its routineness, Austerlitz is undoubtedly a work that meditates on exile in the wake of historic calamity. “I am living the wrong life [falschen Leben]” is how Jacques Austerlitz, Sebald’s protagonist, articulates his condition.5 An allusion in a work reverberating with allusions, these words refer to an aphorism of Minima Moralia (1951), a phrase into which Adorno compressed the fraught dialectics of exile: “Wrong life cannot be lived rightly.”6 Austerlitz endures such a predicament: sent as a child on a Kindertransport from Prague to the Welsh village of Bala, lost his his and his his as the of an the of as a and Austerlitz a a The that his life cannot be from a that is and the German in for the Adorno in the is . . . It is of not to be in Sebald’s work into the of exile to for the most to of his the of in the and of an on the of such not as a as a of on to how is and the life of the with that of a author to as a in a in the of a the with the from the of the with of with of with the of with the of that of with that of of Sebald’s from these his of a of and his of and and his in and the of and of as and the that and how the we of Austerlitz in these of its of is a work that exile in as much as in To and as the for dwelling, exile in the of in that the to an of “I To on the of is to an in the Austerlitz his and with the what we to to the of one that is the protagonist, as to the this of in Austerlitz, with a a and a of to a the and of a of on the of the of what an a his a to a what is a in the work of his a of melancholy a of the of the as it, the of writing to a of to the phrase of a of that to a for a we still to the of this this of in in to to as in of its critical and in to to the the of this to is not that the is in the of this a this an of Austerlitz that the of in the of as in The from into of work on and from to “a of what to of the and on and to be in to on a of Austerlitz a work that a constellation of and to and to what in of the of the and for like not the the to the of the most and Austerlitz the of is much in the to as Jacques Austerlitz the a of for so the of we this Austerlitz as “a of the of the is for the critic to the book to an the of is of the of such a that to and its the of what is in the what the in this the of and the into the which in and . . . to the of . . . and which with to the of the in this is that to say Austerlitz as the most and of Sebald’s is from a for is “a book of “a for attention be on the protagonist, this and to the with which to his the the Austerlitz and the the of the book as a of that for the German and To the this of the and Austerlitz is to the of the of Sebald’s the of that is the of the To to the of in Austerlitz, we as a of with of the the Austerlitz is the in which his as to a of the of which the of the to a of a one for Sebald’s is that not the for that a to that which am a as the words the of to a to that into such to the of is in the an even may not be and of to to in the of . . . is not we a state of in us that of for a in Austerlitz that its and into a a one that to the of the in Sebald’s not a The to his is the his a to an that the is to to a one that is in the of be said with to the of an the still the this and not Sebald’s one of and one of in a and with a and not may to his to the this not the of is its To that to the of a a in is on the of a the in is a of the of that was the as a and and the is how and the and of its like the of “a “a its in and even its and an and this the that was in the with Austerlitz and in a to be may be a one in the an from the an that for the of this the from the of writing to the of . . . for that the of is in . . . to the German for which was a of and which . . . the is to an not an of the of an and of was and in and like Celan, the of his into a that the or and of a in as puts in an on to a work the is or the the to the of his his attention from the to into a and which from and from the to in to this in of into the of of the of for Austerlitz, is as a of in of that like of the to which its into of to the these and the one that Sebald’s is of a to the is that the of the of the from this Sebald’s his to the of life the to the of “a or of the that to in the of the to for and in the was in “a of living with for and an to it, the of the we of the in of and to a and in and as the his was the which into the with his with the of his or an even in of legible and one the and and in like a of the life of an in a work that of and his to on the of in its to the of . . . and in the of and on and The of that Austerlitz to the with a with his an so for as puts it, which with or the to the of that one this into a of in which the is one of that into a in this to and a of not and for a “a to in the wake of a as of the is and what is most . . . is that is an its is not or not to with a of in a to his the with a and of a of a we from a of in the of this on the of the an and on the of the like to is and his as a in an of a a and into the of a of one that the of the to these and of and with and the like that in for the is a with for a of for the of the for and the in as puts it, an a and a of how the the its the and the for in the of and Sebald’s of the even like or into the of the in the to how and in the wake of the It is as from the to a in the of once of and of the The that of the from to a It is a that the of is said of the that an of in the of the the with a of of this even not in the of the of a of the a in these to a to in Austerlitz in the of a of the for in the of an for the to from the The of what the of is a and remarked of his of is so in that one to that of one of his the the with and and Austerlitz attention to the the in his of a of to its or The its most to an the and of or as remarked on in the that for the of his of this say the the not on to this work of of of the on The The is into or and as this German like into of of an and of a as in the in the of the works was in the in in the to in and so from a of into the in a of in the of and which into the most and of is in in which a of or the with the of . . . . . . as in said The of the to The is that an and to as puts in The It to the of the in an on . . . is a the in a us . . . to of and and of the in it, we into and into the of a the like on the which the and to a work of of Sebald’s to “a book . . . of what in a words from The and of a book to which Austerlitz of the of Austerlitz to of the of and its of words that one and and with and a a to his the of one from a for in on his with the of the his so of and such is an or for to to to such of to be the for on for on Sebald’s to Franz Kafka, and that in the even such is an in to a and of Sebald’s is a to a work like Austerlitz that the for in critical to the of Sebald’s an for a or melancholy to to To aspects of the such its and as an of the of melancholy in the scholarly of a an the of its this to “I the . . . W. G. the one “I the what the village in of on a with and the of It the and was and to to on a to Sebald’s writing the of his as and the to a of is the that an of the in the of and to on the of of and to the of and on what to be its as with the of with its the of provides from the is an on the and and the and which his from as an a and once that his to of an of An to with of its and for to writing in a of and which the in of and . . . to to that and and to a that its of and in the celebrated that The is the that said in of the . . . to on and his one in and in and or into the of to the of such as one to or the of into an the to once to the and and to is the of to is of the to of the of the and of the and of the we to the of to and the of is from the of is with as one in the which to in of and that the of and in the and of in a and from that of and the in It is to the of Though this to the of is in how or even how with the of his Austerlitz, what is how a of a of for the words be as in book that in this a of that to and with as and as a the as “a to the of as a book in “a be into a to . . . To in this the claim that work is and . . . is as the and of the a of To is to Austerlitz, in a with the that to the of his of the of is that most the of the on the of the to the in the to The of a of the of and and in the of and for Austerlitz, the to and the the of the of the this on as the it, which on in in a to attention to the of his as the of provides a a of and his on his even much of life is the of Sebald’s Austerlitz still not the of of for to for of from To the of is not that the of a life the to that the is a the we the to the we may in be the of its of as in the of of or as is one of the in which Austerlitz the and with which this is Austerlitz and the of is once with and a of and to an of a in the on us to his as for the from the The Austerlitz, is to with an Sebald’s is as and his to an for his the a of on which Austerlitz most was that with the or Celan, the the of into Austerlitz to his to to for that “a of as in to his as a that the with its to be to the of that as a to his life to the the of a is a from a Welsh of and a which for the and for the a of Austerlitz the a that “a of in the the of the of the writing a and a for the the of Austerlitz like a or It is as the to a the of this to into a of the of a and a on a and of To this is not a of a of Sebald’s Austerlitz on a of and the with and to the and of and of and for the of in of Sebald’s one of the of in The of Austerlitz the vast the book every from the on of his and the of the and and and and so an the of in the wake of a in the secondary with on from and and and of and of these in on Sebald’s from on his that to a or critic to what the most in the the to in and a in of To the of this is once to with the and of in Austerlitz and to the of its is from the the Austerlitz the of the in Austerlitz is in and to the we The the of a . . . the of Austerlitz a of that the and how a of the in a to international and for Austerlitz, as for the of Sebald’s of the and that this of is “a of as the it, in which is and of which . . . in on the of the of which as a in and and a of in the Austerlitz this critical with a of one in his of on this Austerlitz from the of a of as the of an like the is like a the of is of and as in the of in this Austerlitz to the and and as in The of in for to as a and the of the of the as that the to the of the the to the for which Austerlitz the of “a in which the the from the of the of like the and the of in in the of the the most we in a of which in is a of for we that the of and from the with an to as as a in the German of a of of the in of a confrontation with the of or the of like a a and rise to an of the and the of the to for this and to be into the of the for as of and is not into a into the of Though not in Austerlitz, the is the of was for the and of the of the a of in of be a of from its the of the that to the in this the of the to Austerlitz this of is with a of not on the for and and to the such as the on is an in Austerlitz and Sebald’s a for in the work of Kafka, and on the of and of a is to as his of to such is into as once in his into the a to this of even on of the that his is to in of the in an . . . into what is to the eye, is a that a of that is and is with the of such as The the the the of is in a of Austerlitz in his with the . . . to a of of in of and be that of hut in the the the the for the the in the that us a of one in his say that a vast such as the of that this Austerlitz be as an that the of the or is an in the his in the of the to the that the from the of to the of in the with from the of The to the of is an that in from the of to and a of of is and of the as in the of with the of the “a of and the of the and is not to the of as as and as in a on the as the for the of as “a and that for most for to the his to work on Austerlitz, the in in the The German in or in a a in these on such as and is to in is how writing a in the of into a a that to these a for and for that to of as it, of such and as life is to The these is most in the of “a of the is on on and of his of and as one of of the that be and in life . . . a It in into the his to a or of from one to the with a so and to to be a to was “a work of and an into the of of the that a of its most in the on of and a in of the German the in the of is is of this with Sebald’s of is a of for the and of a like in the for the in Sebald’s that a for the of that in from his that with a of to his to his the of and and his the of that with and these industrial in may a of a of that the in the cannot be to a of of a that the from is once and the of for an on as a on the of the that the in this in in a and to a for the in a for from the on his on this as the to a of “I is a . . . one a of a of a an It one of so is in a an It is like a a . . . of that is and is for an and that like to to the though, that to the of . . . in . . . and The is that the be a of one an to the and of this the is like the for the of and in a of the of the the of the on the of the in the we in the on the and the for on . . . The of the on the is of the of the of the the of as a from the of which of a and in which one even and one of of the the of in one and the the which its and is into To to the of the of like the the Austerlitz, is a a from the and most of in a on the is in the that one of his a of the of Austerlitz The is once his to the of the of from with an and from the of the in and and into in the of the like of in a of in The of the the attention to the of in the that lost in the of the the of an The that these the we a of a and an from the of to a these of of to Austerlitz, the from which the of Austerlitz the of in and The of Austerlitz, of and on to his the of the and with on the the and his the is this said and was the the as the words like of to in and a and was the was that to such a with that was his and that with its the of the in the to of The is not the of the of the the like the of “a of and in the words of as this of the on the the for the the of this the for as is the of be to state that and the of its the of the in Austerlitz is the of the the that into a not of of that even of the of Austerlitz the with a of for the from the Welsh with its and of one critic even so as to Sebald’s such a for we from that the of the of a to the in the us that a a of to the from as day the in or in a and as in the so on to the in the the in with of a of and that with the in The of of a of industrial of with of The of such a to the a of Carol Jacobs we to with such what this to say Sebald’s of and To the and in a of is undoubtedly one of the in as puts it, and one in his that this constellation of a of the of as an in the hut cannot on the of in the of of is so in that is even a of the of which that his of dwelling, a in with be as the of the or the of the the and It be to such an Sebald’s for the in his on on the in hut of . . . in the of the to is Sebald’s to confound the hut with the to and in that cannot be from the of the even to his the in his the of in his on is the of its an in which the to on its or in be the that The is to the of in his the of of in of and a that the to “a a of the of the of To the to on a of or that of It is a of that be and the of not in a of in the that “must to we not for of a of the in these of a to a in and is the of in this in in his and is this that in the Austerlitz was is a to for we is that we is to that the of be from or the of from the of for the as in the to his The of is not and is . . . is or even from these of that is even a even for or with the hut a of and an a of is with and not a to the hut is even the and of the of the fraught of in which and from is his of a on the of the to hut in we to Sebald’s as “Hut the of the hut or in with the of the of the the the and which need for dwelling, the of the the of the its is a that is as the that is with a of that the and is the of the for is not that the of in a and the of Austerlitz not to exile into a state of the for the of the his and . . . the of to the was Austerlitz in this is to the that the of the hut not as a to be as the and of Sebald’s Austerlitz as a work that the for in the of and the of with as the on the of that an of an which is the of the with be to a of which in the the of the is once in and is in not to to Sebald’s that on the of what in an to the that or the we the of Austerlitz, to its we to what the of which for a of “a of and to or of for is of the was with the of the of that attention to and of this on an of is the work sustained of is that the of “a on with which is to say that is the of that to with and and the a and the for a from a is in that the of a is a for is for the of the that the of is to and the the of a this to in of the is in the of a is the as an still the of its as puts it, the in an in of as a for a that a to or the is or that for the with The of on this for that a in with the as puts it, on a an like the is to how we of which we in of and and of and so for the is on of in of of this of is and the to an of which to the of a of in what of one the from a to a from the of the is not of that the the in the of to . . . the of into us to the of the that in in as and Jacobs is “a from as Sebald’s is a from the of to the of Sebald’s is the the of the the is in an of To with to and the of a us to the of and is the we the of and the of in of in the work of the and in a in the that a of is in as a is the like every and the . . . us and The is this in in a of and in a of and and and It is in of as in the that the and to the of on a that is the of the of from the of Sebald’s we that most of which is an that like the in the is a melancholy of one with the to from the of a of a a in with the to The of the into the and of a of the of is the is which of and the of his and The this most in a the of this dwelling, and we in a a or a of in its an and that us to the of that may a for of was in on the the of in An was the the of the of in of that to the of that like to the to and on this and a to and an German like to and for with am to of the of the of the and of the for the and for this and for in the and of the works to of for to in

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